welcoming

The people are so welcoming here! It never happened to me (Dunerider) to feel like a “star”. People seem to be so fond of motorsport here that we are asked many times a day to pose with them for pictures. Just crazy – makes us smile a lot. The passage of the Rally Dakar 2009 is a unique event and probably for some smaller villages the most exciting event in history. In the larger cities the crowds of people welcoming us and the competitors is just absolutely amazing. Hundreds and hundreds of people fill the streets, shout, cheer.

Annie at the arrival in Copiapo explained to me that many people shout her name while she is passing by. They remember her from the Patagonia Rally a couple of years ago. She was amazed by this. “I have my personal fans here – and they remember me – that’s so great here”.

While I am in La Rioja in an Internet Cafe uploading the Blog, she is racing the special stage between Fiambala and La Rioja. Should be very muddy and hard today, as it has been pouring rain all night. Looking forward to see her at the Bivouac this afternoon.